Oral & Physical Health

Sealants

Dental sealants are plastic coatings that are usually placed on the chewing surface of the permanent back teeth — the molars and premolars — to help protect them from decay.

The Arcora Foundation (formerly the Washington Dental Foundation) has funded CISSC to lead the Local Impact Network to increase the number of dental sealants to low income children. SMILE Spokane is our local partner that engages all community members interested in improving oral health in Spokane County.

ToothSavers is a highly successful sealant provider that actually goes into schools with 50% or more children eligible for free and reduced lunch and applies the sealants. Medicaid and other insurance pays for the treatment. Parents wanting to sign up for the service can find a consent form here.

Connecting Families to Dentists

Our goal is for children and families to have a dental “home” where they will feel connected to a dentist and maintain everyone’s teeth in their family for life.

Physical Health

Despite having health insurance from Medicaid, many at-risk children do not routinely see a primary health provider. Working with CHAS Health and others, we attempt to link those providers to our students and their families. The lack of funds for transportation, even public transportation is a significant barrier for most families. Our goal is to assist the Washington State University School of Medicine to obtain a mobile clinic which could then go to schools where students are.